In playing golf it is important for a player to determine the distance between his or her ball and the center of the green. It has been suggested that this can be more easily done if distance markers are placed along an edge of the fairway at given intervals such as every 25, 50, 150, 200, 225, 250 yards from the green. This distance marker indicating the distance between it and the center of the green is helpful for correct club selection. Each distance marker has its distance from the green, indicated thereon e.g. 100 yds, 200 yds. etc. By looking at the distance marker nearest his ball a player can make a fairly accurate judgement of distance in order to determine correct club selection.
For a distance marker to be practical, it must be impervious to sunlight (UV and/or IR), weather and chemicals such as fertilizer or weed killers, capable of staying in place and resisting damage when run over with fairway maintenance machines or golf carts and easy to see while not providing a golfing hazard.
Various fairway yard markers of the prior art are briefly described below.
Two U.S. Patents of Bailey, namely U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,072,940, and 5,114,149, teach the use of golf course fairway or distance markers that generally comprise a flexible marker strip that is secured within the ground via various securement means. An upper portion of the marker strip projects vertically from the ground for showing the associated distance to a hole or from the tee. The marker strips are flexible enough to bend out of the way if struck by a golf cart or lawn mower.
Kirby et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,171, teaches a collapsible golf course fairway distance marker that includes a conically shaped upper portion that protrudes slightly upward from the surface of the ground and includes a plurality of strips upon which numerals can be imprinted for displaying desired distances. The individual strips or leaves are connected at their innermost ends to a spring loaded piston-like mechanism that is contained within an anchor housing portion of the marker which is buried or embedded below ground. If a golf cart or mower passes over the marker, the leaves retract downward, and out of the way, as a result of the spring bias mechanism. After the heavy object has moved over the marker, the spring biasing pushes the leaves back up to restore the normal configuration of the marker.
Lakatos, U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,297, entitled "Golf Distance Marker", teaches the use of a rectangular base member secured below ground to which a flat thin sign is inserted within a slot in the base member, for providing yardage markings.
UK Patent Application GB2202155A, discloses the use of golf course distance markers that have conically shaped top marker portions which protrude slightly above the ground that are secured to the ground via a cylindrically shaped base member.
In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,981 to Zausmer, a fairway distance marker is shown having a rectangular base plate with raised numerals indicating yards on its top and pins projecting from its bottom that are to be inserted in the ground. There is a pin at each corner and one at the middle of two opposing sides. Cone shaped barbs are mounted on the ends of the pins so as to prevent the base plates from being easily pulled up. A frame having an opening through which the yard number can be seen is snapped onto the top of the base plate.